Tupper Lake theater hits fundraising goal for digital projection

In a blast of good news for Adirondack cinephiles, the State Theater in Tupper Lake has announced that it has raised enough money to convert its two movie screens to digital projection – and remain open.

The nearly 100-year-old theater, located on Park Street, has raised $60,000 to supplement a $35,000 state grant, hitting its goal of $95,000 to cover the digital conversion.

The Adirondack North Country Association is leading a region-wide “Go Digital or Go Dark” fundraising campaign for 10 theaters that find themselves at risk of closure – like many small, independent theaters and drive-ins across the country — when 35 mm prints are discontinued at the end of this year.

Of the 10 participating theaters, three have raised enough money to make the conversion and stay in business: Indian Lake Theater, the Glen Drive-In in Queensbury and now the State in Tupper Lake. One is shuttered: the Ogdensburg Cinema. According to the ANCA, six remain in the fight to survive, including the Cinematheque Theatre in South Glens Falls, the Hollywood in Au Sable Forks and the Palace in Lake Placid, which has converted one of four screens and needs $150,000 for the remaining three.